120 tonnes of molten steel spills at Visakhapatnam Steel Plant; calamity narrowly averted 

An accident occurred at Visakhapatnam Steel Plant on Thursday after molten metal spilled on the ground at the plant's steel melting shop. According to reports, a ladle carrying metal weighing about 120 tons slipped in the Continuous Casting wing behind CCM-3. The cause of the accident was due to the main hoist of the crane developing a technical snag.

120 tonnes of molten metal spilled

However, there were no casualties nor any major damage to equipment or machinery, as per the plant's spokesperson.

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The Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, also known as Vizag Steel, a Navratna PSU, is an integrated steel producer that registered a turnover of Rs 20,844 crore in 2018-19, and produced 20,521,000 tonnes of steel, as well as 358 MW of power that year.

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Other recent accidents at heavy industries:

Last month, two persons, including a boy, died while four others washed away when the storage pond of a private coal power plant developed a breach in Harrahwa village in Singaruli district of Madhya Pradesh. 

District Collector KVS Choudary said the pond of the Sasan Ultra Mega Power Project (UMPP), located around 20 km from the district headquarters, broke around 5 am on April 11. At least six people washed away in the sludge, he said, adding that the bodies of two people have been recovered while the search for the others was still on. 

When asked about the cause behind the incident, the collector said, "It is sheer negligence on the part of Reliance (Power, which owns the plant)". The sludge affected crops spread over an area of 25 acres. 

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